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May
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| Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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1 - Day
312
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2 - Day
313
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3 - Day 314
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4 - Day 315
First sign of udder
change.
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5 - Day 316
Substantial udder
change in the last 24 hours. Muscle tone has loosened on her
hindquarters (jello butt). |
6 - Day 317
Continued udder
development. Sophie has started sitting in her water bucket - a late
pregnancy habit of hers.. |
7 - Day 317
Udder dropped down
in size with turnout, although still quite substantial. Milk is cloudy,
skim milk color. Tests under 50 PPM. Odd behavior all day.
Lots of "tail up" and restlessness. Foal quite active, can be
seen bouncing on the top of her croup. Moved her into the foaling stall
to let her adjust. |
8 - Day 318
Udder up and down
all day. Milk is cloudy,
skim milk color, quite a bit. Still under 50 PPM. VERY odd
behavior - pacing in the stall, restless, off her feed. We're
monitoring closely because the behavior is so like a mare close.
Belly shape changed - photo shows the shift in foal position. |
9 - Day 319
Udder changing - up
and down all day. Milk is cloudy,
skim milk color. Not thick yet. Still under 50 PPM.
Behavior still odd, restless, agitated. We've seen udders shrink
during turn out, but this is the first 'yo-yo' udder we've had over the
course of days. Sophie acts like a mare close to foaling. |
10 - Day 320
Mean! Nippy
and unpleasant. Milk Unchanged. Still under 50 PPM.
Not eating with her usual vigor, she's quite restless and distracted.
Udder continues to act odd: grows and shrinks repeatedly during the
day.
|
11 - Day 321
Milk still under 50
PPM calcium. Getting whiter, although not as plentiful as it will before
foaling. Her behavior is still odd, she's very quiet during turn-out and
is actually letting Vespa stand close by (Sophie NEVER lets any horse near
her!). Appetite is still a bit off.
|
12 - Day 322
Udder larger,
fuller and less tender. Milk more plentiful & whiter (although still
translucent). Calcium still under 50 PPM, but by the look/feel of the
udder there will be changes soon. Sophie's hindquarters have really
softened, she's very jiggly when she walks. |
13 - Day 323
Udder larger,
fuller. Milk flows easier, lots of it. Whiter and thicker.
Surprisingly, it still tests under 50 PPM.
|
14
- Day 324
Udder jumped in
size today. Milk is cloudy,
skim milk color, LOTS of it. Tests under 50 PPM, which is surprising by
the rapid change in the udder and volume.
|
15 - Day 325
Udder still fuller. Milk is cloudy,
skim milk color, LOTS of it. Tests under 50 PPM, but not for much
longer. Udder very full!
|
16 - Day 326
Udder still fuller. Milk is cloudy,
thickening, looks like it's getting close. Still tests under 50
PPM. Heavy mucus discharge last night, odd behavior
today. Will calcium test before bed.
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17
- Day 327
Calcium slightly
over 50 PPM this AM (will test again before bed). Udder substantially
larger, heavy and full. Milk down in teats, LOTS of it. Not as
thick as it will be before foaling.
|
18
- Day 328
10 PM - Calcium
rising some, not dramatically yet. Udder VERY full, lots of milk, quite
sticky, thick. Quite yellowish, still (may stay that way). Sophie
is clearly coming down the home stretch.
|
19
- Day 329
Calcium about 80
all day, although the milk looks like it should be higher. LOTS of milk,
very easy to milk, thick, sticky and opaque. Foal has changed
position. Sophie has hollows next to her tail, very sunken. |
20 - Day 330
Udder is huge.
Looks like it will explode. LOTS of milk, yellow/ white,
thick. Udder so full that the teats are recessed. Sophie
is restless, agitated this evening. Will test calcium before bed. |
21
- Day 331
Calcium is at about
125 this morning, will test before bed again. Milk is abundant, white,
thick. Looks foal ready. Sophie has been oddly affectionate today.
|
22 - Day 332
Calcium about 175.
Milk white -- and LOTS of it. Milk may not change in appearance from here until foaling. Udder so
full that it's hard to milk. Sophie is butt pushing, tail up
swishing, belly kicking, pacing. She's in the home stretch now.
|
23 - Day 333
Calcium about 250
this PM. Milk is very white, abundant. Udder is so full,
coming up between her hind legs that it's hard for her to walk. Butt
pushing, kicking at belly, "squirrel tail" up and down,
restless. Very close to time...
|
24
- Day 334
Calcium about 300 this AM. Milk is very white, abundant.
Photo show how her hindquarters have dropped off, hollows next to her tail
head. Udder is full, warm, milk flows easily. Heavy mucus
discharge this afternoon. Will check calcium later.
|
25
- Day 335
7:30 PM Update: calcium at 500. VERY heavy mucus discharge all
day,
very restless, tail up, clearly feeling pressure. Didn't want turn out.
Photo shows most all classic signs: heavy udder, softened hindquarters,
change in belly shape. SOON.
|
26
- Day 336
7:00 PM Update: Hard to believe, but no foal yet. Sophie waxed/dripping
milk all day. Overall, she's more comfortable today than
yesterday. She's quite 'heads up' tonight, which is something she
typically does before foaling. It can't be much longer! |
27 - Day 337
Yes, it's true. Sophie has NOT yet foaled! No signs left to
watch for. She's still waxed & dripping milk She's quite
comfortable, not showing any signs of distress. Not to worry - she
will foal when she's ready. Clearly she didn't read the same books
we did! |
28
- Day 338
Unbelievable! Sophie has NOT yet foaled! How can she walk with
this udder???? Bouts of restlessness, belly kicking, sitting in
her water bucket all day. Agitated, then wants attention. She acts
nervous.
|
29 - Day 339
No foal yet. Flirted with the stallion during turn out, which is
often something they do close to foaling. Milk is very thick,
white-cream colored, plentiful. Waxed on/off all day.
|
30 - Day 340
8 PM: Finally, Sophie foaled. Big, bay colt. See
photos below or visit his page.
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